喜樂美語

核心畫面

Hold the literal thing first: the tip of a pin — the tiniest dot a surface can be touched at. Everything else follows from how small that dot is. If you can put your finger on exactly that dot and nothing around it, you have hit the target with no room to spare.

一根針的針尖——碰到紙面時留下的那個小到不能再小的點。整個字的力量都來自這個點有多小：小到你若真的碰中它，就代表完全…更多收起一根針的針尖——碰到紙面時留下的那個小到不能再小的點。整個字的力量都來自這個點有多小：小到你若真的碰中它，就代表完全沒有偏差、沒有模糊地帶。所以 pinpoint 不是「找到」而已，是「準到只剩一個點」；也不是「小」而已，是「小到可以拿來當精準的標準」。名詞是那個點，動詞是把手指按上那個點的動作。

From the word’s history

A transparent compound: pin + point — the point of a pin. The modern meanings are all still readable straight off the two parts.

這個字的組成完全透明：pin（大頭針）＋ point（尖端、點）＝ 針尖。這是少數不需要查詞源就看得懂來歷的字，而且現代所有意思都還讀得出這兩個零件——看到 pinpoint，先在心裡把針尖那個小點叫出來，四個用法就都連得上了。

The entry's attested origin note: "From pin + point."

Two branches

針尖那個點（名詞）

這一家就是實體的畫面本身：小到極限的一個點。

tiny area or dot · noun · C2

A very small area or dot of something.

小點

把手指按上那個點（動詞）

從「那個點有多小」轉成「我能不能正中它」：動作是把模糊的一片縮到單一一點。

find the exact position · verb · C2

To find or show the exact position of something.

精準定位

原始詞典資料4 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

pinpointnoun/ˈpɪnpɔɪnt/

  • 1

    The point of a pin.

  • 2

    Something infinitesimal; a tiny point.

    • What was once an astonishing, one-off discovery in 2005 may prove to be just a pinpoint in a global distribution of animals of which we previously knew nothing.

pinpointadj/ˈpɪnpɔɪnt/

  • 1

    Extremely precise or specific, especially regarding location.

    • The machine assembles parts at high speed and with pinpoint accuracy.
    • The 28-year-old not only hassled the visitors' midfield but also delivered pinpoint balls with alarming accuracy as far as the east Londoners were concerned.

pinpointverb/ˈpɪnpɔɪnt/

  • 1

    To identify or locate (someone or something) precisely or with great accuracy.

    • The investigators tried to pinpoint the source of the flames.
    • It would defeat the purpose of secret surveillance if individuals were able to pinpoint exactly when the police were likely to be listening in on their conversations and adapt their behaviour accordingly, and the [European] Court [of Human Rights] has not interpreted Article 8 to require that this information should be provided to individuals, either before, during, or after they have been the subject of surveillance measures.

資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。